Flirting with the Forbidden: Finding Grace in a World of Temptation [Paperback]

I can normally count the number of non-fiction books I read in a year on one finger. It's just not a genre I find very engaging. More often than not the writing tends to be dry and the spiritual teaching either too shallow or way too deep. However, there is one author I can count on that won't overwhelm or underwhelm me, and that is Steven James. Much like his fiction writing, his non-fiction books are engaging and extremely readable. Instead of checking to see how many pages I must plow through to say I finished, I'm disappointed that pages run out so soon. Such is the case with Flirting with the Forbidden. It strikes a nice balance between story and insight, while encouraging the reader to accept the grace which will help them through temptation.

I love the title of this book. The name, Flirting with the Forbidden, creates a very visual picture of the minefield Christians tread through every day. How can one survive in a world that's constantly tempting one to sin? The answer James provides is to nurture and grow in our relationship with Christ. This sounds easy enough, but as each chapter demonstrates, applying this answer is, in practice, quite difficult.

Each chapter in Flirting with the Forbidden starts with a first person narrative of a well-known story from the Bible. From Eve recounting the death of Able to John on the shores of Patmos, the stories are engaging and set the stage for the spiritual insight James provides. While I thought some of the insight was somewhat predictable, it's all spiritually sound. I do wish a couple of chapters would have provided newer and deeper insight into tempting situations though.

The strength of this book is in the first person narratives. For the long time Christian, none of these stories will be new. However, James does an excellent job of bringing insight into what these people might have been thinking. Some stories use people that are off scene in the Bible, but they bring a unique perspective to the story. For example, I never considered the story of Jesus raising Jarius' daughter from a flute player's perspective. Nor have I given much consideration to what Satan thought about the progression of his plans to have Jesus killed. It's this type of inventive storytelling that makes this book very readable.

At less than 200 pages, Flirting with the Forbidden is very short. Within those pages are some strong challenges to Christians--challenges to deny ourselves, to not get entangled in the thorns of life, to believe. There is really nothing earth shattering conveyed, but there are some very convicting sections and I think given the scope of topics, probably everyone who reads this with an open mind and humble heart will walk away with something. I suggest reading it at a slow pace though. This book is not steeped in heavy theological issues, but the insight it provides is well worth pausing to considering.

It's only January and I've met my quota of non-fiction books for the year. For people like me, who like the spiritual insight and encouragement that can be found in non-fiction books, but without wading through pages of intense theology, Flirting with the Forbidden is a good option. The readability and thought-provoking reflections makes this a rare book that will actually stay on my shelf to be re-read later.

Occasionally, I will read a book that I purchased and was not given to review that impresses me so much that I decide to post a review for it. Such is the case with this book. I review books for the publisher, Revell, and have reviewed some of the author's books in the Patrick Bowers Thriller Series, which I highly recommend.

I have never read a non-fiction title by Steven, but this one sounded worth reading, so I picked it up while shopping yesterday, and sat down to read it this afternoon. It isn't a long book, coming in at just 185 pages, but it is definitely worth reading. I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would, and what he wrote has really resonated with me and hit home.

He starts each chapter writing in the first person point of view from a person in the Bible. Chapter one is about Eve, chapter two is about Joseph and his temptation from Potipher's wife, and so on. Each person dealt with temptation and/or sin in some way. The author takes some liberties with writing some of the thoughts of these Biblical characters, but I don't feel he did any injustice in doing so, but showed his point in a more interesting way. His great story telling comes through in each story, and its obvious he is a talented writer even if you haven't read anything else by him.

There are fifteen chapters. Fifteen different people, and fifteen different temptations and scenarios: lust, doubt, loss, and more. Interwoven with each story is Jame's thoughts on the story and some personal experiences of his. He caused me to see some of the stories in the Bible in a different way, and also convicted me while giving hope.

This is a must read for any Christian, no matter if they think they have struggles or not.

QUICK HIT - Steven James breathes fresh perspective into fifteen Biblical accounts that teach us about the importance of finding and utilizing grace in a world of temptation.

Temptation. It surrounds us. Calls out to us. Makes the unthinkable seem reasonable. Burrows into our hearts and souls and threatens to destroy us unless we deal with it. Denying God, transgressing his moral law, sinning. To get to that point we have to first be tempted, we must give into Flirting with the Forbidden. In fifteen stories of and reflections on temptation, bestselling author Steven James weaves a creative tapestry of fictional narrative and non-fictional ponderings that engages the heart and points toward Christ as the source of overcoming temptation.

Each chapter begins with a narrative drawn from Scripture. The murder of Abel from Eve's viewpoint. Joseph's temptation by Potiphar's wife. The aftermath of Uriah's murder. The raising of Jairus' daughter from the perspective of one of the paid flute players. Demas's desertion of Paul from Demas's viewpoint. I'm not sure I agree with James's theology at all points--his portrayal of Joseph evidences some creative license, in my opinion--but otherwise his stories are true to the Biblical narrative and compelling.

His use of first-personal fictional narrative and extrapolation of stories both well-known and obscure serve to ensure that this isn't some cookie-cutter Sunday School lesson book. Follow this up some frank and hard-hitting personal commentary that follows each story and you've got a powerful and insightful book that deals with things like doubt, suffering, grace, repentance, hope, perseverance, and self-control.

One of the biggest things James talks about is how the grace to overcome temptation doesn't lie with ourselves but in the God who indwells us. Self-control? That's a fruit of the Spirit, not of man. All too often, the Church teaches implicitly teaches that while salvation is by grace, the whole part of "working out our salvation with trembling" means trying harder to be a better person. But as James reminds us, it's really all about believing better. That's not to make sanctification some sort of ethereal thing--since just believe better seems kind of hokey. But rather when we are relying on God's grace to make us a better person, when we truly realize we've already achieved the overcoming of the world, it makes us want to work it out and be worthy of the calling we've been given.

Steven James is a master storyteller and master writer. Whether penning hard-hitting and gritty fiction in the form of the Bowers Files or musing about Story or pondering faith and life, his words are a joy to read. Unique and inspirational, Flirting with the Forbidden can be read through in one sitting or used as a devotional and read one chapter a day. Either way, it's an important read with a message that needs to be heard.